Buyer's Remorse

Barack has been endorsed by both Clintons and most of the Democratic party, spent tons of money on media buys, traveled to Europe and Iraq as a party nominee, and refined his message and positions.

So, he's doing pretty well, right? Not so fast.

National polling shows McCain and Obama neck-and-neck, the swing states show some murky results, and Hillary is still in the news as much as Obama, despite suspending her campaign in June.

As the convention rapidly approaches, we Democrats must ask ourselves one final time, "Are we sure we made the right choice?"

Recently-leaked Clinton campaign memos can lead us to draw many conclusions. We now know with more certainty that disorganization and ideological splits played a large role in early setbacks which became insurmountable. We also know how the Clinton campaign viewed Obama. The memos reveal that the campaign knew that Obama would be their most significant threat, but also reveal something about his electability. Mark Penn described Obama as a candidate that couldn't win, "except against Attila the Hun." This scathing rebuke, in addition to many others, serve to remind us that the Clinton camp truly believed Obama isn't electable. It wasn't just a campaign ploy to say so. If Obama's candidacy blindsided Clinton, it wasn't just a lack of organization, it was a disbelief that people signed on to his fantasy. Many of us can relate to that shock and dismay.

After hearing speech after speech from "The One", quiet whispers are becoming louder in certain circles. Indeed, Obamamania is slowly transforming into Obama Fatigue.

Since transitioning toward the general election, Obama has backed out of public campaign financing and gone negative in his campaign ads despite explicitly promising not to. He has reversed positions on oil drilling, and suggested that to get us out of an energy crisis, people should, "fill up their tires." His tax ideas have been regarded as disasterous and as fantasy by economists, and he's accused the McCain campaign of being racist. Ouch.

So, can we still find our receipt? Can we take it back?

Maureen Dowd, a vocal Clinton-dissenter during the primaries, wrote in Today's New York Times, "...many Democrats wonder if Obama is fighting back hard enough against McCain, and many are wondering, given his inability to open up a lead in a country fed up with Republicans, if race will be an insurmountable factor." According to the website puma08.com, 15 delegates have pledged to reverse their support for Obama and shift back to Clinton in July. Though Drawnlines has been unable to confirm any such shift, rumors of some push back are circulating. The smoke from the Obama fantasy appears to be fading away, leaving behind only the man behind the curtain.